Chilling Effects Clearinghouse is a resource set up by Electronic Frontier Foundation, essentially to help you out if somebody is trying to shut you up on the net when you state your opinion or tell your story. For example, if you give a critical report of the products or activities of some company. They might send you a legal sounding notice, threatening you with million dollar lawsuits and jail if you don't remove your criticism. It you're just one individual without legal resources, that might freak you out, and you might do what they say, and shut up. But you don't have have to, if you realize you're not alone, and if you have a place to share your story, and receive support and advice. Do you know your online rights? Have you received a letter asking you to remove information from a Web site or to stop engaging in an activity? Are you concerned about liability for information that someone else posted to your online forum? If so, this site is for you.
Chilling Effects aims to help you understand the protections that the First Amendment and intellectual property laws give to your online activities. We are excited about the new opportunities the Internet offers individuals to express their views, parody politicians, celebrate their favorite movie stars, or criticize businesses. But we've noticed that not everyone feels the same way. Anecdotal evidence suggests that some individuals and corporations are using intellectual property and other laws to silence other online users. Chilling Effects encourages respect for intellectual property law, while frowning on its misuse to "chill" legitimate activity. Notice particularly that they're gathering a searchable database of Cease and Desist letters that people have received, and they will help decode the legalese, to explain what they actually mean, and what your rights actually are.
[ Information | 2006-02-01 22:25 | | PermaLink ] More >
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